1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for the sequential loading of a plurality of cartons with articles, such as plastic bags and the like, and more particularly, pertains to an indexing system for such an apparatus to increase the rate of feed of the cartons to bag-loading stations which are contained in the apparatus.
The folding and loading of thin, limp, sheet-type articles such as, for instance, plastic trash bags, produce bags, sandwich bags or general utility bags into box-like containers through the intermediary of high-speed, automatic machines is well known in the packaging technology. These plastic bags are folded and loaded into cartons which may contain, for example, from 10 or 20 to up to 75 or 150 or even more of such bags for retail sale thereof.
At this time, numerous types of apparatus and equipment for the production of cartons are widely available in industry and possessed of a high production capability. Similarly, carton closing apparatus which is presently available also possesses a high production capacity. In the installation of a system for filling such cartons; for instance, with plastic bags; the production requirements are frequently quite lower than the capacity of the carton forming and closing equipment. Consequently, equipment designers are frequently faced with the problem of providing expensive carton loading or filling devices which can operate up to the capacity of the carton forming apparatus, or alternatively, providing less complex and expensive carton forming apparatus of only the capacity which is required by the particular situation. Upon selecting the latter option, after a few years the requirements may quite frequently increase beyond the capacity of the carton loading equipment, thereby rendering the system uneconomical and possibly even completely obsolescent.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A modular carton loading equipment which can be easily expanded by adding box loading equipment as needed to the system has been already developed and disclosed in applicant's copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 654,360, filed Sept. 26, 1984, assigned to the common assignee of this application, and which is incorporated herein by reference.
Another application discloses a modular indexing table for a carton loading machine which is modular in nature, as is disclosed in applicant's copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 707,227, filed Mar. 1, 1985 assigned to the common assignee of this application, and which is also incorporated herein by reference.